Deformable side seal for furnaces and method for using

Abstract

A longitudinally extending row of closely spaced elongated flexible springs extend over an elongated slot of a furnace to prevent heat loss. The springs are deflected in turn as an arm moves along the length of the slot and the springs return to their original state after the arm passes by. The arm holds a glass handling device which holds a glass sheet within the furnace. The arm moves along the length of the slot so as to transport the glass sheet through the sections of the heat treating furnace.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. In a glass sheet treating furnace of the type having a chamber, said chamber having an entrance end, an exit end and a slot through at least one wall portion and extending between the entrance and exit ends, a glass sheet handling device mounted within said chamber, a support member extending through the slot and connected to the handling device, moving means mounted outside the chamber and acting on said support member to move said support member and said handling device between the entrance and exit ends of the chamber along a sheet movement path, wherein the improvement comprises: a plurality of discrete elongated springs each having a longitudinal axis; and   means for mounting said plurality of springs relative to said slot such that the longitudinal axes of said plurality of springs lie in a plane transverse to a plane containing the sheet movement path and parallel to the sheet movement path wherein the springs when in a non-working position have their longitudinal axis transverse to the direction of the sheet movement path and overly the slot and in a working position have their longitudinal axis bent toward said entrance end or said exit end of the chamber to provide a barrier to limit movement of atmosphere between the inside and outside of the chamber through said slot and to maintain the barrier as said support member is moved along said sheet movement path.   
     
     
       2. The glass sheet treating furnace as in claim 1 wherein said chamber is an elongated chamber, said slot is an elongated slot, said mounting means includes a spring support means located proximate to said elongated slot and said plurality of elongated springs are characterized by individual springs each having one end that is free to move at least toward and away from the ends of said chamber, and another end being mounted on said spring support means. 
     
     
       3. The glass sheet treating furnace as in claim 2 wherein said plurality of elongated springs comprise at least one set of closely spaced springs mounted on said spring support means and further including means to displace said spring support member relative to said elongated slot between a closed position where said free ends of said at least one set of springs in said non-working position overlay said slot and a recessed position where said free ends are spaced from said slot to facilitate access to within said chamber through said slot. 
     
     
       4. The glass sheet treating furnace as in claim 2 wherein said plurality of springs comprises a first longitudinally extending row of closely adjacent springs and a second longitudinally extending row of closely adjacent springs with said first row being offset longitudinally with respect to the adjacent springs of said second row. 
     
     
       5. The glass sheet treating furnace as in claim 2 wherein said chamber has a pair of side walls, each of said side walls is provided with an elongated slot extending horizontally in a common horizontal plane and each of said elongated slots is provided with said plurality of elongated springs to provide a barrier limiting movement of the atmosphere between the inside and outside of said chamber through said slots and to maintain said barrier as said support member is moved along said sheet movement path. 
     
     
       6. The glass sheet treating furnace as in claim 2 wherein said plurality of springs is a first set of springs, said spring support means is a first spring support means and further including a second set of springs including a plurality of elongated individual springs having free ends and mounted ends, said mounted ends being mounted on a second spring support means, said first and second spring support means mounted spaced from one another about said slot with the free ends of said second set of springs facing the free ends of said first set of springs when in the non-working position. 
     
     
       7. The glass sheet treating furnace as in claim 2 wherein said slot is a first slot, said chamber having a pair of opposed side walls, said first slot in one of said side walls and a second slot in said opposite side wall aligned with said first slot; said plurality of springs is a first set of springs, said spring support means is a first spring support means and further includes: second, third and fourth spring support means;   three sets of springs defined as second, third and fourth set of springs, said second, third and fourth sets each include a plurality of elongated individual springs having free ends and mounted ends, said mounted ends being mounted on said second, third and fourth spring support means, respectively;   said first and second spring support means mounted spaced from one another about said first slot with the free ends of said second set of springs facing the free ends of said first set of springs when in the non-working position;   said third and fourth spring support means mounted spaced from one another about said second slot with longitudinal axis of said third and fourth set of springs lying in a plane parallel to the plane containing said first set of springs, and with the free ends of said third and fourth set of springs facing one another;   wherein said springs in the non-working position each have their longitudinal axis transverse to the sheet movement and in the non-working position have their longitudinal axis bent toward either said entrance end or said exit end.   
     
     
       8. The glass sheet treating furnace as in claim 7 wherein each of said spring support means are positioned external to said chamber. 
     
     
       9. The glass sheet treating furnace as in claim 8 wherein said glass sheet handling device is a vacuum platen, said moving means is a shuttle means, said support member being at least one transversely extending reinforcing member and further including a means for providing a vacuum path between a vacuum source and said vacuum platen. 
     
     
       10. The glass sheet treating furnace as in claim 8 wherein said support member extends through said first slot and further including: a second support member extending through said second slot and connected to said vacuum platen;   means to heat the furnace interior;   said first, second, third and fourth sets of springs each include a first longitudinally extending row of closely adjacent springs and a second longitudinally extending row of closely adjacent springs with said first row being offset longitudinally with respect to the adjacent springs of said second set; and   means for moving said free ends of said first and second sets of springs and said free ends of said third and fourth sets of springs toward and away from one another about their respective slots.   
     
     
       11. The glass sheet treating furnace as in claim 7 wherein each of said spring support means are positioned within said elongated slot. 
     
     
       12. In a method of heating a glass sheet in a furnace of the type having a chamber, said chamber having an entrance end and an exit end and a slot through at least one wall portion, said slot extending between the exit and entrance ends, a glass sheet handling device mounted in the chamber and a support member extending through the slot engaging the handling device; the method includes the steps of supporting a sheet by the handling device, acting on the support member to move the handling device and sheet through the furnace along a sheet movement path between the exit and entrance ends of the furnace while heating the sheet, wherein heat from inside the furnace passes through the slot, wherein the improvement comprises: mounting a plurality of discrete elongated springs each having a longitudinal axis such that the longitudinal axis of the springs in a non-working position overlies the slot, and lies in a plane transverse to a plane containing the sheet movement path and parallel to the sheet movement path and the springs in a working position are bent toward an end of the furnace; and   moving the handling device to move the sheet through the furnace wherein the handling device as it moves over the springs moves them toward the working position and as it passes over the springs allows them to move to the non-working position to maintain a barrier limiting movement of atmosphere between the inside and outside of said furnace chamber.   
     
     
       13. The method as set forth in claim 12 wherein said slot is a first slot, and at least one wall portion is a pair of spaced wall portions, with said first slot in one of the wall portions, and the furnace further includes a second elongated slot in the other wall portion extending between the ends of the furnace and a handling device extending through the second slot, further including the step of practicing said mounting step and said moving step at the second slot. 
     
     
       14. The method as set forth in claim 13 wherein the wall portions are vertical walls and said mounting steps are practiced at the first and second slots to position elongated springs to extend upwardly over the slot, said mounting step being further practiced at the first and second slots to position elongated springs to extend downwardly over the slot so that the slots are covered when the springs are in the non-working position.